In a statement issued in Thiruvananthapuram, Vijayan said the CBI raids at the residences of Prannoy Roy and his wife Radhika Roy were a ploy by the Narendra Modi government to "silence and scare those against the Centre".

"The central government is using the enforcement agencies and the CBI to wreak vengeance and it reminds me of what happened during the Emergency days. This is a clear example of trying to gag the media and all should come out against this high-handedness," he said.

The CBI on Monday conducted raids on Roy's houses in Delhi and Mussoorie over an alleged bank loan default. Radhika Roy is the sister of CPM politburo member Brinda Karat.

On Tuesday, the Press Club of India expressed "concerns" over the raids and said that it condemned "any attempt to intimidate the media or curb its freedom".